Every photo book project starts with browsing and selecting the best photos from a larger collection. It’s common—and smart—to aim for a broad range of photo subjects, typically including portraits and group shots (i.e. “people” photos), landscapes or cityscapes (“scenery” photos), and various other photo types such as action and nature shots, plus the occasional artistic pic.
Some projects, however, benefit from a more selective and focused approach to photo curation. For example, a travel book documenting trips to spectacular destinations will feature more landscape shots than average. Likewise, some photo books are centered around people, so they predominantly feature portrait or group shots. Examples of books of “people” photos include wedding albums, milestone birthday and baby books, and portfolios for photographers specializing in portraits.
With a thoughtful approach, your people-first photo book can tell a meaningful story, capture precious memories, and become a treasured keepsake. Here are some top tips for organization and layout of a book of “people” photos.
The art of storytelling through “people” photos
When a person, couple, family, or another group of people are the key focus of a photo book, always keep in mind that your selected “people” photos will drive the narrative. That doesn’t mean skipping all landscapes, nature photos, or other non-portrait shots. Just remember that those other pics should be supporting, or adding context, to the people-driven story.
Many of these types of photo books benefit from the inclusion of text. This can range from brief captions to longer pieces of writing. It can be helpful to choose a photo book theme with content prompts, such as the My Life Stories theme featuring timelines and thoughtful Q&A elements.
Here are some other themes we love for books of “people” photos:
What story are you telling?
Before starting your people-first book project, ask yourself: What (or whose) story am I telling? What’s the purpose of the book?
If you’re making a photo book to celebrate a loved one’s milestone, such as a big birthday, graduation, or retirement, then the story will be their journey toward that milestone—the big finale! Your photos will document the major events and personal, career, or educational growth over the years or decades of their life.
For a photo book featuring a whole family, the story might be how you all came together as a family, and your ongoing relationships and shared experiences together. A romantic photo book for a couple will tell their love story, intertwined with the stories of others who love them, too.
Perhaps your photo book tells the story of a group of people and their activities. All the kids in a sports team and the stories of their season. A volunteer group who came together to work on an important community project. A hiking club and their increasingly adventurous excursions.
However you define the story you’re telling, keep it in mind while selecting photos for the book. Each photo should tell or in some way illustrate part of the bigger story.
What’s the tone?
Also take a moment to think about the tone of the story in your photo book. It is a vibrant celebration? A thoughtful reflection? Fun-filled and funny, or sincere and sentimental? The preferred tone will influence photo choices, and should also guide you in picking a theme with a suitable aesthetic.
How to arrange portrait shots in a photo book
There are two general approaches to arranging photos of people across the pages of a photo book: chronologically, or thematically. Additionally, there’s a hybrid approach combining both options.
Chronologically
A logical choice for birthday books, anniversary gifts, and other books telling a story that spans years, is to arrange photos in chronological order. This doesn’t have to be precise, but it generally makes sense to mimic the timelines of the real-life story.
With a baby book, for example, start with newborn pics, then progress through the months and milestones of their first year. For a golden wedding anniversary, create spreads for pre-wed years, wedding day and honeymoon celebrations, then highlights of each successive decade.
Thematically
For some books of “people” photos, it makes more sense to group photos thematically. This could mean groups of people together e.g. photos of a grandparent with each of their grandkids, or photos of similar milestones over the years, such as a spread of “blowing out the candles” pics from birthdays at various ages. For a person with many hobbies and interests, you could create a two-page spread for each of them.
Hybrid approach
It’s often a great idea to take a hybrid approach to arranging portraits throughout a photo book. Arrange the bulk of the book chronologically, but include a few thematic spreads in between certain sections. This approach can make the storytelling feel more dynamic.
Choosing formats and layouts
Portrait shots are typically taller than they are wide, so a photo book with a portrait format can be the best choice for a book of “people” photos. A square book is also a versatile option, making it a good choice if you have a range of portrait, square, and landscape formats. Think twice about picking a landscape format book if you’re including a lot of portrait shots, as they won’t be able to be displayed at their full height.
Related: Selecting the perfect photo book format: tips for showcasing your memories
Layouts should offer the best possible showcase for portrait shots, too. Consider the scale of a photo. If it’s a group shot of a dozen people, choose a larger frame so that each person’s face is clearly visible. Closeups can still look great in smaller sizes.
Remember, you can crop, resize, apply filters, and get creative with photo shapes like heart, circle, and star using Mixbook Studio™ editor tools.
How to add visual interest
While professionally shot, posed portraits might be among the best photos in your book, don’t fill it exclusively with a single type of photograph. Even with a book focusing on people, variety in photo styles adds visual interest and tells a more well-rounded story.
Look for portrait shots taken with different kinds of backdrops, from different angles, and in both indoor and outdoor settings. Include plenty of candid photos of people, which tend to capture more genuine smiles and emotions. Include the occasional closeup of a relevant object, or a couple of scenery shots capturing the season or landscape.
How about a trio of three different photographs of the same person and scene? One could be a closeup of the person or just their face, another a midrange shot giving a bit more context to the scene, and the third a wide shot that shows all the surroundings.
Want to put people first in your next photo book?
Do you ever look through all the photos from a trip or event, and find yourself skipping right over any pics that don’t have people in them? That’s because photos of people—especially people you love—are the true treasures in any collection. For your next family photo book idea, custom gift, or milestone memento, consider making a photo book that puts your favorite people first.
Head to Mixbook and get started today!